LONG BEACH – Kids will have an opportunity this fall to get a head start learning their ABCs.

Starting Sept. 3, the Long Beach Unified School District will launch a fee-based pilot program for preschoolers at Tincher Preparatory School, 1701 Petaluma Ave.

Children must be a minimum of 3 years old by Oct. 2 and potty-trained to join the program, which will run from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Certified preschool educators will teach the program, and lessons will be tied to the district’s elementary school curriculum.

The program will include one class with between 18 and 24 students and cost $825 a month, which district officials say is comparable with private preschools.

“Since the program will be held on the elementary school grounds, it will be an easier transition into kindergarten for the students,” said Diane Karidakis, coordinating teacher with the state’s Child Development Center and site supervisor at Tincher.

Breakfast and lunch will be offered in the school cafeteria to students, but the cost is not included in the monthly preschool fee, she said.

About 50 parents have already inquired about the program, said district spokesman Chris Eftychiou.

“By enrolling more students in our own preschool programs, we’re preparing more students for Long Beach Unified’s elementary school curriculum before they enter kindergarten,” he said.

The new program also will help the district achieve a goal of universal preschool, Eftychiou said.

“We want to provide a full spectrum of preschool choices for parents. That’s the best way to achieve the goal of universal preschool, all families having access to high quality preschool,” he said. “A fee-based program complements the other programs that we already have.”

The district also offers low-income families preschool programming funded by the state’s Child Development Center and the federal Head Start program.

The Child Development Centers will serve about 2,000 preschoolers at 20 district locations in the 2013-2014 school year.

Head Start’s student population will be 1,847 next year. That number is down 178 students after approximately $1 million was cut due to federal sequester cuts, Eftychiou said.

For more information about the preschool program, including registration, call Karidakis at 562-430-6810.